2007 - 6/26 - 6/28 - New Plymouth - Man O' War

Tuesday, June 26; New Plymouth. We were on the fly bridge reading; Wayne is reading Soldat, a story about WWII and I’m reading Split Second by David Baldacci and Laurel came by to return the flashlight.  After chatting awhile, we decided to go to town and see Black Sound where her boat is moored. We tied the dinghy up at a place called Pineapples an outside bar, restaurant with a salt-water pool.

Pineapples bar & pool

We never did leave Pineapples.  We were able to walk back to see Black Harbor so it wasn’t a total wasted trip. The girls had great fun with the other people there as we did. We invited Laurel to join us to cruise south until Tom returned from the States.Wednesday, June 27; Wayne and Laurel picked up salad fixins, bread, butter and oil for the boat and we were off.  We listened to the cruiser’s net on channel 68 and the weather forecast was dismal calling for 100% rain and squalls. So when did that ever stop us? We pulled anchor and headed south. The bay was choppy but then we had to cross Whale Cay passage they say can be very dangerous because it takes you out to the Atlantic side.We had rough seas, maybe 5 footers but Blue Max did well as usual.  We opted not to go to Treasure Cay (way too uppity) or Great Guiana but chose to stay at Man Of War. It seemed like a interesting Cay and very protected. We entered the southwest side of the Cay on the lee side and meandered around the many anchored and moored boats. I told Wayne

Cottage on Man O' War harbor

that I would consider selling the cottage for one like this...it's probably a boat house but just our speed!  The harbor was way to tight for us to fit in so we anchored outside the north entrance to the harbor and plan to go ashore in the morning.  Happy hour followed by meat loaf, mashed potatoes and the movie, First Wives Club. Laurel fell asleep in the middle of the movie.
Thursday, June 28; Stormy, rain all morning. Shame, we planned to go ashore today. Plan B; I worked on the log and the pictures, Wayne and Laurel were deeply involved in their respective books, the girls snuggled in their beds.  It finally cleared somewhat so we donned our rain gear and went ashore. This is a dry town (not today) meaning you cannot buy liquor or cigarettes; restaurants don’t serve alcohol nor is there a bar in town, but the town is quaint as hell. Wandered a bit, got a few things at the grocery.

More bread from Lila, the 'bread lady' on Man O' War

We were told Lila, the bread lady, was delivering her bread via golf cart and if you wanted any, you had to find her. A woman with a golf cart gave us a ride to track her down. Laurel bought a loaf of bread and cinnamon buns for breakfast.  It was all we could do to resist eating them immediately. This is a working town. All petroleum products and services, including mechanical, refrigeration and cosmetic repairs, prop changes, underwater work and repairs and a fleet of water taxis with scheduled service to Marsh Harbor/Hope Town. Boats are built at several yards; some have been winners for the annual Family Islands Regatta. Interestingly, one of the most illustrious sailing vessels built here is the 70-foot topsail schooner William H. Albury. She represented the Bahamas in the Tall Ships Race and Operation Sail in 1976. The marina owners are planning to build 23 upscale, turnkey Villas, ($595,000/$695,000) 4 hotel suites, restaurant, upgraded marina and pool on their site. The renderings of the resort are nice but what a shame to screw up one of the most peaceful harbor/settlement in the Bahamas. It was late in the afternoon and soon everything will shut down.  The ‘blacks’ (hey, not my term-that's what the locals call them) were already heading for home on the water taxis. It was still drizzling which made exploring a bit tough and we’re glad we didn’t bring the dogs. I needed garlic for my pasta dinner so we headed to the grocery before they closed at 5:30. A little salad, pasta, Italian sausage and wine for dinner. Watched The Mask of Zorro with sexy Antonio Bandaras and the beautiful Katherine Zeta Jones. Laurel fell asleep again.